The Change in the Outcome
by caskettonmywaywardserenity
Summary: An alternate version of 5x16. What would happen if the squints were told everything about their first case together. Would Booth's gamble pay off? Read and find out! First Fic.


**Hi all! This is the first fic I've ever posted so go easy on me please **

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own Bone that honour was given to Hart Hanson and FOX but a girl can dream.**

Dr Temperance Brennan and Special Agent Seeley Booth were seated in the diner, manuscripts of their bespoke book written by their FBI consigned psychologist open in front of them.

"You know we really need to tell Sweets about the mistake in this before it's published," said Brennan. Booth looked up at her.

"You mean the conclusion that we're ... you know...?" he inquired.

"In love? No that doesn't bother me," said Brennan shrugging, Booth meanwhile inexplicably (Or not) brightened at her words

"I meant our first case," continued Brennan "The case stated in the book was not our first case."

"Does that matter?" said Booth.

Brennan shrugged "I don't know. How's Parker?"

Booth was momentarily taken aback at the abrupt change in subject before grinning at his partner "He's great. He was asking for cool Dr Bones!"

Brennan smiled back at him and was inviting Booth and Parker to have dinner and go to the cinema with her when the Squint Squad ,as Booth had long since christened them, entered the diner and sat by them at the counter.

"What's that, sweetie?" asked Angela Montenegro, the Jeffersonian's artist and Brennan's best friend, as she sat on Brennan's other side.

"That's my book," exclaimed Lance Sweets as he sat down by Cam.

"Yes it is." said Brennan.

"What did you think of it?" asked Sweets.

"Not bad but there is a mistake in it," said Brennan

"Hint: it's not what you think," added Booth.

"You're annoyed with my conclusion that you two are in love and it's that interpersonal relationship that helps you bring such energy, rigour and vigour to your cases,"

"Woah, you wrote that they were in love?" asked Angela "That's my boy!" she grinned as she patted him on the back.

"I say that it's not what you think and you right away say what you think," said Booth with disbelief.

"The Cleo Eller case in your book was not our first case," said Brennan.

"Hold on he says you're in love with Booth and you ignore it?" asked Cam.

"It's an interpretation," said Brennan as if that clarified everything.

"You had another case?" exclaimed Sweets "my entire conclusion was based on your unflappable interpersonal dynamics during that first case."

Hodgins who had been oddly quiet this entire time piped up

"Was the actual first case the one with judge Hasty?"

Booth nodded.

"What happened?" cried a distraught Sweets.

"I was there but there's stuff I don't know about that case," said Angela.

"The case was solved though," said an oblivious Zach.

"Things about Bren and Studly I mean,"

Brennan looked to Booth "Should we tell them?"

"Yes!" exclaimed Sweets.

The partners kept eye contact for a minute until Booth smiled and said "I guess so."

"We had a case... I was at a late night gamblers anonymous meeting,"

"Booth had a gambling problem before he met me," interjected Brennan.

"It wasn't really a problem since I always won," reasoned Booth.

She rolled her eyes at him and they continued their story.

"Which is when he said... _"That scientist what was her name"_

"And she replied "Temperance Brennan" Which is me!" explained Brennan smiling, she shared a grin with Booth while Angela shared a knowing and slightly exasperated look with Cam and listened as the partners told their story.

_"Do you believe in fate?"_

_"Absolutely not, it's ludicr__ous!"_

In the diner Brennan looked at Booth

"I still don't."

"I still do," he replied. The pair carried on with their story until they got to the part where Brennan punched Judge Hasty. Twice.

_"Was that very bad?" murmured Brennan shocked at herself._

_"That was amazing. You are so hot! It was great!" said Past Booth gleefully _

"Wait wait wait," said Angela "Booth called you hot?"

"It was very hot!" said Booth shrugging.

"What is it with you and hitting people?" Hodgins asked Brennan.

"Can we please get back to the point. You called her hot?"

"Why is that so hard for you to believe?" Brennan asked her.

"Because you two have been dancing around each other for years but the first time you met he called you hot and you said something about responding to the breadth of his shoulders or something and nothing happened then...? I just don't understand it?"

"We're getting to that part," said Brennan "And Booth and I don't dance around each other. We've danced with each other before quite a few times but we don't dance around each other."

"Metaphorically," said Cam

Brennan still looked confused.

"Let's carry on with the story Bones," said Booth ignoring Angela's comments.

When they got to the bit of the story where Caroline ordered Booth to fire Brennan and the Squints, they hesitated, unsure if they really wanted to share this part with everyone.

"Should we?" Brennan asked Booth.

"I don't know,"

"Maybe we shouldn't. What's ours is just ours, remember. The meatloaf story."

"Yeah, Bones, I do," said Booth smiling "But maybe we tell them about this 'cause they'll keep asking if we don't and then we won't tell them about other things like... like... 'Hot Blooded'. Ever."

Brennan smiled and nodded.

"Tell us!" cried the others.

"We met at the bar later that night and... we started drinking and talking. About half an hour later we were kinda drunk and I just blurted it out. You were fired. And then Bones realised if we weren't working together we could..." Booth paused.

"Have sex," completed Brennan. The others sat staring at them mouth agape.

"We went outside and it was raining. We were about to get a cab to my place. We were standing in the doorway of the bar," said Booth.

"Then Booth said he had to tell me something. He told me about his gambling problem, when I asked him why he told me he said that he thought this was going somewhere. And we kissed," explained Brennan.

"You kissed?" asked Hodgins.

"Yes. For several minutes. There was tongue contact." Admitted Brennan with a very small smile on her face, as if remembering the kiss fondly. The squints sat dumbfounded by his information.

"Five years. Five years I've been trying to get you two to do it or at least kiss and you did way back then."

"Oh we didn't actually have sex," said Booth "After a couple of minutes Bones ran to the cab and got in it saying that we were too drunk."

"I went home and went to bed,"

"So did I,"

"You kissed." said Cam with disbelief.

"Bones lets continue with the story," said Booth.

Once they had finished the Squints were even more dumbfounded than before.

"You hit him?" Cam asked Brennan.

"I shouldn't have grabbed her," said Booth.

"I still can't believe you kissed," said Sweets "I always said that if you kissed the dam would break but you've already kissed now one of you needs to take a chance," he turned to Booth "It's gotta be you, you're the gambler."

Booth and Brennan turned to face each other and stared intently at one another while the others waited with baited breath after Sweets outburst to see who would take a chance. Something unspoken passed between the pair and Booth stood up silently and walked out of the diner, Brennan followed a moment later.

"Where're they go-" began Hodgins

"Shhh! Look!" exclaimed Angela as she pointed to the window of the diner where Booth and Brennan were having a very important conversation. Their friends watched them closely. They stood less than a foot apart Booth looked nervous and hopeful as he spoke

"I'm the Gambler"

Angela and Cam gasped as suddenly Booth stepped closer still grabbing Brennan gently by the arms and kissing her. Brennan patted his chest tearfully.

"I'm not the one who needs protecting though, you do. From Me!"

Booth spoke again, reasoning, pleading.

"I'm that guy"

Brennan looked unsure, hopeful. A moment later Booth said something else which made her step closer to him until they were touching. She looked at Booth.

"I love you too, Booth"

He grinned at her, his charming, lopsided, Booth grin, and wrapped his arms around her waist, leaned his head down and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer kissing him passionately. It was better than their tequila kiss, better than their mistletoe kiss, it was something new and yet familiar, different yet right. It was magical.

Inside the diner their friends burst in to cheers earning them odd looks from other diners. The kiss got progressively more passionate and all the squints turned away to give them some privacy and out of fear of the formidable wrath of Dr Brennan, all that is but …

"Angela? Are you still watching them?" asked her husband.

She grinned slyly "Oh yeah!" she said.

**So tell me what you think. Good? Bad? Indifferent? Just click that blue button down there and review!**


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